Space

Executive Leadership

Howard W. Lutnick

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Merkel

Executive Vice Chairman
Executive Managing Director
General Counsel

Lori Pennay

Senior Managing Director
Global Head of Human Resources
Chief Employment Counsel, the Americas

Danny Salinas

Senior Managing Director
Chief Financial Officer

Howard W. Lutnick

Howard W. Lutnick

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Howard W. Lutnick is Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., one of the world’s leading financial services firms, Chairman and CEO of global brokerage and financial technology company BGC Group, Inc., and Chairman of Newmark Group, Inc., a world leader in commercial real estate services.

Mr. Lutnick joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 1983 and rose rapidly through the ranks to be appointed President and CEO in 1991. Five years later he was named Chairman. In 2004, Cantor Fitzgerald separated out its voice brokerage business to create BGC Partners L.P. In 2008, Mr. Lutnick led the merger of BGC and eSpeed, forming BGC Partners, Inc. In 2011, BGC completed its acquisition of Newmark, and subsequently invested heavily in the growth of the commercial real estate services business. Newmark completed its IPO in 2017 and the Spin-Off from BGC in 2018.

Following the tragic losses suffered on September 11th, 2001, which included the loss of his brother Gary Lutnick, Mr. Lutnick rebuilt the firm and dedicated himself to supporting the families of the Cantor Fitzgerald employees lost that day. In the days after the attack, he launched The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund which committed $180 million to the 9/11 families over 5 years as well as healthcare coverage over 10 years. The Relief Fund is still active today and looks to aid victims of terrorism, natural disasters, and other emergencies.

Since 9/11, Mr. Lutnick has been recognized as a symbol of resilience, and his story has been widely covered by top financial publications. Mr. Lutnick was named The Financial Times’ Person of the Year in 2001 and Ernst & Young’s United States Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010. In 2023, Mr. Lutnick celebrated his 40th anniversary at the Firm, making him one of the longest-standing CEOs on Wall Street.

Mr. Lutnick is a member of the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the Partnership for New York City, Weill Cornell Medicine, the Horace Mann School, and the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution. Mr. Lutnick is a recipient of the highest honor granted to non-military personnel by the Navy: the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award.

Mr. Lutnick is a graduate of Haverford College and holds a degree in economics.

Stephen Merkel

Stephen Merkel

Executive Vice Chairman
Executive Managing Director
General Counsel

Stephen Merkel is Executive Managing Director, General Counsel and Secretary of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. He joined the firm in 1993 and oversees all legal and compliance globally for the firm. He is also Executive Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary of BGC Group, Inc. Previously, he was the Director, Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary of eSpeed.

Prior to joining Cantor Fitzgerald, Mr. Merkel was Vice-President and Assistant General Counsel at Goldman Sachs & Co., dedicated to the J. Aron Division. He began his career at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison.

Mr. Merkel graduated with a B.A. Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania and received his law degree from the University of Michigan School of Law.

Lori Pennay

Lori Pennay

Senior Managing Director
Global Head of Human Resources
Chief Employment Counsel, the Americas

Lori Pennay is a Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Human Resources and Chief Employment Counsel for the Americas for Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., overseeing all Human Resources functions globally, and employment law in the Americas, for the firm.

Previously, Ms. Pennay served as a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, providing legal advice and representation to Cantor and BGC Group with respect to employment and partnership matters. Before this, Ms. Pennay worked as Employment Counsel for Credit Suisse Securities (USA), LLC, where she was primarily responsible for providing legal advice and representation for the private banking and certain back-office divisions. She began her career as an employment lawyer with the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP.

Ms. Pennay holds a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University with high distinction honors and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Danny Salinas

Danny Salinas

Senior Managing Director
Chief Financial Officer

Danny Salinas is a Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. As CFO, Mr. Salinas is responsible for financial operations, including accounting, finance, regulatory reporting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, as well as taxation, risk management, and investor relations.

Mr. Salinas is a seasoned veteran with over 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Cantor, he held various executive positions for over a decade at TD Bank Group, most recently as Chief Financial Officer in TD Securities. Mr. Salinas also practiced as a tax attorney at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, where he advised on strategic corporate transactions. He began his career at Deloitte & Touche, where he received his CPA.

Mr. Salinas holds FINRA Series 27 and 79 licenses. He earned a J.D. from Georgetown University, where he graduated magna cum laude, and a B.S. in accounting from Rutgers University.